


An Unlikely Alliance

by ReaperQueen



Category: XCOM (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Aliens, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 18:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13370367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperQueen/pseuds/ReaperQueen
Summary: She wants to trust him. She wants to feel at ease when he is near, but it is much harder to let go of the past than to kill aliens. Elena struggles with her perception of the Skirmishers, as she is forced to form an alliance with the person she is used to hating. {Takes place not long after Lost and Abandoned mission}





	An Unlikely Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally written in Russian (https://ficbook.net/readfic/6396719 => you can read it here if you happen to know it), but as I was writing I tried to simultaneously translate it into English, so I could post it here too. Because if not for my dearest Tumblr friends, I would have never done it!

Elena took off the leather gloves and let the flame warm her frozen hands. How long has it been since she last felt this life-giving warmth? For as long as she remembered, the fire had been a part of her being. It saved her during the severe weather and dispersed the dense forest twilight. Elena even closed her eyes, giving in to the forgotten feelings. Of course, life aboard the Avenger was full of amenities. Still, nothing could ever compare with the closeness to nature. Even the ruins of once majestic cities, in which their faction found a temporary shelter.

Elena bent down to throw an armful of brushwood into the fire. The cracking of dry boughs caused her to smile slightly. And it was extremely rare for her to smile. The war had turned a cheerful girl into a strong-willed and fierce woman. A cold-blooded killer, capable of ruthlessly destroying aliens one after another.

Elena loved being alone. It was still unusual for her to share a small room with other soldiers, so she sometimes asked for a permission to leave the Avenger for a few hours. It was more than enough to ponder and enjoy the night scenery. To remember that she was a Reaper.

A sudden rustle of withered leaves made Elena cling to her rifle instinctively. Her muscles tensed in an anticipation of an enemy. She didn’t have a mask with a built-in night vision on, so she couldn’t really tell where the sound came from. Squinting, Elena looked around the forest thicket with an attentive glance.

The rustle repeated somewhere nearby. The shot followed immediately.

“Who is there?”

She was ready for a battle. Almost no one could compare with her neither in marksmanship, neither in dexterity.

“There’s no need for weapons. I did not come here to fight.”

Elena lowered the ‘Vector’, recognizing the voice of someone who would have shot immediately a couple of weeks ago. Mox. Pratal Mox.

She noticed a torn scrap of fur on his collar. The bullet flew only a couple of centimeters away from his neck.

"I’m sorry,” Elena allowed herself to relax a bit. “I didn’t expect a company… Yours especially.”

“I understand. We have been sworn enemies until now so I cannot judge your caution.”

Mox spoke slowly and insinuatingly, trying his best to show that he meant no harm.

“After so many years of continuous enmity it’s hard not to want to gnaw your throats,” she snorted.

“I would be glad to prevent all those bloody massacres that I committed under the Elder’s control. I do not blame you for hating my kind.”

Mox approached cautiously as if testing the waters. Even though they allied forces against the common enemy, it didn’t mean that all the past grievances had been forgiven and forgotten.

_Reapers have a long memory._

“Unfortunately, it’s not possible. You can’t resurrect the dead,“ she stated dryly. "Your death squads took lives of an innumerable number of my people.”

“I’m sorry,” Mox said sympathetically, sitting down beside her. “Each of us, skirmishers, constantly struggles with the blame for our crimes. Believe me, we would never wish anyone such a terrible fate in our right minds.”

Mox understood that his apologies were just an empty sound to Elena. He couldn’t resurrect her dead comrades. He could only offer his sincere repentance in return. Elena pursed her lips.

“Pity can’t fill the bottomless abyss that your people left in the heart of every reaper,” she said in an almost icy tone. “Every day I struggle with anger. Every day I force myself not to see you as an enemy.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. Mox had no idea what to say.

“I… just hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. See me as an ally again,” he admitted honestly. “You’re an excellent fighter, Elena. You were not afraid to stand your ground against Vox Prima, and it is admirable. It is much better to have you as a partner than an enemy.”

For a moment Elena hesitated. It didn’t look like Mox was lying. The boiling anger began to subside slowly but surely.

"I’m sorry,” she breathed after a while. “I always feel like people are trying to trick me. I am incredulous and skeptical towards everyone who doesn’t belong to my faction. It’s too reckless to trust others blindly. Once I got burned, and this lesson cost me too much.”

A cold gust of wind made Elena pull on the hood and shiver a little.

"If you’re cold, I can lend you my cloak,” Mox suggested, watching her body quiver.

“There is no need,” Elena refused. “It’s nothing compared to the winters of my childhood. I have survived conditions much more severe than you can possibly imagine.”

Still, Mox couldn’t help but admire Elena’s spirit and lack of fear. He didn’t know anything about her, but for some reason, he was sure that Elena had been on the verge of death more than once. And yet she was ready to face it at any time.

"Maybe so, but now you’re shaking,” Mox insisted softly, throwing a red cloth over her shoulders. “This is the least I can do to thank you for rescuing me from captivity.”

Elena tensed again but forced herself to calm down. It was just a cloak. Mox was only trying to be polite.

“Thank you,” Elena nodded, wrapping it around her arms. “But I just returned the debt. You gave me a chance to escape from the hordes of lost. Reapers repay good with good.”

"But you did it on your own will,” he retorted. “Nobody ordered you to save me. That’s why I want to believe that you can trust me one day.”

Elena wanted to protest, but she knew that Mox was right. Nor Volk, nor the commander gave her such instructions. She volunteered to join the squad to save him.

“I just don’t like being in debt.”

It was only half true. Elena didn’t want to admit that for a while she had allowed herself to forget about the enmity that had existed almost all her life. That due to the feeling of gratitude she had been ready to sacrifice her own skin to get no one else, but a skirmisher out of the Assassin’s clutches.

Mox shook his head slightly but didn’t object. He could guess that Elena was afraid of getting stabbed in the back. Her reluctance to share details and overly personal experiences was justified and understandable.

"If you want me to leave, I’ll leave,” he suggested a minute later. “I don’t want you to be under constant stress because of my presence.”

Elena wanted to agree to such a tempting offer but eventually changed her mind to send Mox away.

“It’s all right,” she turned around to face him. “Since I agreed to join XCOM, we will have to work together, regardless of my opinion.”

_Though you are the last one I’d trust my life with._

“You  **really**  are an amazing woman,” Mox said admiringly. “You hate me, but due to a sense of duty and responsibility, you do everything to overcome yourself.”

Elena just grinned, squeezing the edges of the red cloak. It was funny. She could almost call Mox a gentleman: he was doing everything to win her respect and friendship.

“I have no choice. If we don’t unite our efforts, we won’t have any chance of success. We almost went to the underworld when we met this… “ Dragunova hesitated, choosing the most suitable word, "this thing.”

“If not for you, Vox Prima would have cut me in half,” Mox slid a hand down his chest, looking for a layer of bandages. “Her sword never misses. She is an ideal fighter, one of a kind.”

She was deft, elusive and merciless. Like death itself.

"The same can be said about her brother,” Elena noted, recalling how Hunter mocked her people, shooting one after another with an unprecedented ease. 

“You’ve probably heard that there are three of them serving the Elders altogether. One of them has been causing us many problems. His rifle can hit targets at the unprecedented distances. He can predict your actions before you even think about them. You never know whence this instant death will reach you. He…They all are monsters created to hunt us down and eliminate like some livestock.”

Suddenly Elena felt his hand on her shoulder. Mox still felt pain from any arm movement but wanted to support her nevertheless.

"I know how you feel. Vox Prima slaughtered so many of my brothers and sisters that I cannot even count them all,” he smiled sadly. “But I believe that together we can put an end to the rule of the Elders. Please…Believe me. I would never want to harm you, not after everything you’ve done for me.”

Elena nodded in confusion, forcing the conscience to remain silent. She would never become a true member of XCOM if she can’t let go of her past grievances. But every time she looked at Mox, she involuntarily recalled those who took her home from her.

"How can I earn your trust?”

“I would like to know that either…” Elena almost answered, but glanced at the muton meat getting roasted on the skewers instead. The meat of these aliens had a specific taste, but it was the best kind of food to ease the hunger. Not to mention, she hated anything that contained CORE, a so-called restored protein.

“The Reapers believe that the first step towards trust is sharing a meal together,” she reached for the almost cooked dish. “It shows that you respect your interlocutor and want to earn their sympathy.”

Mox frowned slightly when the pungent smell of the fried flesh hit his nose. For him, such food was beyond any understanding.

“Do you want me to… eat this?”

Elena sniffed and then cut off a piece with a pocket knife. The meat was juicy and looked quite appetizing. However, she didn’t have enough time to give it to Mox. Suddenly a strange, unholy sound echoed in the air. The sound of an alien.

Elena jerked immediately, grabbing her ‘Vector’. The prepared dish fell on the ground with a savory slap. They were not alone.

“Watch out,” she ordered Mox, moving toward the thicket cautiously. The instincts told her that the enemy was hiding somewhere nearby, tracing them like some prey. Perhaps, they have been observed for a long time.

Mox was unarmed, as he hadn’t dared to come to Elena in a full combat gear. Even his beloved Bullpup had been left on the bedside table. Now he felt useless. Grabbing the knife that fell from Elena’s hands, Mox followed her lead. 

The bone-chilling shriek repeated.

“It sounds very similar to a cryssalid, so we ought to move slowly and carefully. If this thing gets us, we won’t get out alive. Their poison is very powerful.”

Mox nodded, peering into the darkness. His gaze stumbled upon a faint yellowish glow. It was static, but then it shifted sharply to the left.

When a cryssalid emerged from the forest, Mox didn’t even have time to make a sound. The creature reached Elena in the blink of an eye. The speed was beyond any comparison. It was impossible to escape even if you wanted.

"Damn,” she cursed, hastily trying to dodge the deadly claws. A rifle shot didn’t cause any effect. The bullet whizzed through the air, not touching the insect-like alien.

Mox lunged, but way too late to change anything: the cryssalid was more adroit. His sharp limbs twirled in the air, forcing Elena to stagger from the sharp pain in her thigh.

“What a bastard,” she hissed through the clenched teeth.  “I’ll tear you apart and prepare some meatballs from your disgusting flesh.“

Elena exhaled, feeling her leg getting paralyzed. The poison had an instantaneous effect.

"Do not touch her,” Mox snarled, thrusting the knife into cryssalid’s head and trying to hurt it as hard as possible. The alien jerked, making terrible, boiling sounds. Apparently, the blade had hurt some vital organs.

“Run, Elena,” he shouted, dodging the awkward attacks. “I won’t be capable of holding it back for a long amount of time!”

Elena cursed again: her body wasn’t obeying. The poison had already begun to spread, clouding her consciousness. Cryssalids never tended to walk alone.

With such state of affairs, their chances of getting out of the trap alive were minimal, if not completely insignificant.

Elena moaned from the pulsating pain, forcing herself to move towards the approximate location of the Avenger. She just had to make it. To make it on time before her body gets completely paralyzed and will be beyond saving. She had no more than five minutes. Elena hoped that at least Mox would be luckier: unlike her, he specialized in close combat.

Moxes stabbed the cryssalid once more, and the alien, uttering a terrible death cry, spread out on the ground. Mox had already heard the sound of a few more cryssalids approaching, so he immediately rushed after Elena. He may have handled a single bug, but a mere knife would not be useful against a whole group of them. Throwing the cooked muton meat toward the thicket, Mox hoped that the bait would distract the enemies at least for a while.

Elena was unable to move normally, therefore, having caught up with her, Mox threw Elena over his shoulder without any ceremony.

"I will carry you, and you shoot if they appear in sight.”

“Understood,” she breathed, pointing the barrel of the rifle at the possible target. It was extremely difficult to concentrate, but she had no choice. Either she kills the remaining cryssalids and they return to the base, either they die. There was no third option.

In less than a couple of seconds, three aliens appeared from behind the tree trunks, moving their long limbs. Their piercing eyes were the only visible part of them, so Elena tried to aim at the point between them. Fortunately, the trick with a piece of meat worked: for a short while the creatures lingered and stopped rushing in their direction. Elena pulled the trigger, and one cryssalid fell dead. The other two rushed to the sides, following the animal instinct.

“You won’t escape my wrath, little shits,” Elena hissed, pointing the barrel at the next one.

Another shot thundered in the air. The bullet hit the cryssalid in the head but did not kill it. One more attempt and only the last one was alive. It seemed that luck was still on her side. The sweat drops began to emerge on her forehead, however. The body struggled hard to fight against the poisoning, but could not stop it.

“I will not be able to remain conscious for a long time,” she said,  trying to balance herself on Mox’s shoulder with the trembling hands. “The poison slowly but surely begins to paralyze me.”

Mox knew perfectly well how dangerous it was to get wounded by the cryssalid claws. No fewer Skirmishers died from their poison than from the Assassin’s katana. Many of the dead fighters were still rookies and did not have time to know the fullness of life without the control of the Elders.

"We will make it,” Mox said firmly, diving into the gap between the two pines. “I will not let you die. I have lost too many comrades to allow such a blunder ever again.”

Elena once again looked around the area through her scope. Having found no traces of the last cryssalid, she allowed herself to relax. Maybe, the alien realized that a similar fate awaited him if he decided to follow them. Or maybe it was the muton meat with its mordant smell that threw the bug off their trail. In any case, these insects no longer presented a threat.

“The area is clear.”  
“Are you certain?” asked Mox anxiously.  
“Word of the Reaper.”

Mox stopped and carefully placed Elena on the grass next to the tree.

“Stay here, I will bring the first-aid kit soon,” he explained and then added in a more worried tone. “Be careful.”

Elena nodded, pressing 'Vektor’ to her chest and praying that Mox could make it on time. Usually, she tried to carry a bubble with a universal antidote but decided not to take it for a short walk in the woods. The fog began to cloud the vision. Elena shook her head, driving away the desire to collapse into an unconscious state. She was strong, she could handle it. She had had to endure situations much worse than that. Volk would have surely told her off if he was here.

Taking a peak from behind the trunk of the tree, Elena analyzed the surroundings for the second time. There still were no hints of the alien: no yellowish glow, no recognizable shrieks. Just complete silence, in which Elena could even hear her own uneven heartbeat.

The fog came back, and Elena leaned back, panting. It was getting worse. The cold sweat began to cover not only her forehead but the entire face. Wiping it with a glove, Elena tried not to think about the approaching death. He would come back. He would.

However, she didn’t hear the steps of the returning Skirmisher: the weakened body soon gave up completely, and Elena fell into the void.  
~~~  
Elena could hardly open her eyes, feeling the weakness immediately take over. The realization of what was happening did not come immediately: first, she recognized the outline of the lamp in the infirmary, and then the face of one of the local scientists, who was taking care of the given compartment on the Avenger.

Elena was way too weak to call him: she only sighed heavily. However, it was more than enough to draw his attention.

“You do not need to get up yet,” he warned, going up to her capsule and starting to display some sequences on the touchscreen.

“According to my data, there are still remnants of poison in your body, which should be removed. However, there is good news. Serious damage to your nervous or cardiovascular system was not caused. Once we completely cleanse you of toxins, you can return back on track.”

Elena nodded briefly, watching the scientist’s fingers give orders to the system. There was a loud beep, and then some sort of a fluid flowed through the tubules that were connected to her hands.

“The procedure won’t take long. With the technologies available to us, you do not have to lie in the infirmary for several days. Just let your body rest for a couple of hours and your condition will return back to normal.”

Elena watched with the corner of the eye how her body was pumped up with some kind of medicine. The process itself was new to her: The Reapers relied on traditional medicine and rarely could afford higher level treatment.

Of course, she had to visit hospitals before the invasion, but it would be foolish to compare the medical services of those years and current ones. What was previously considered impossible was now a simple matter.

When the familiar broad-shouldered figure of Mox appeared in the doorway, Elena, unlike the first time, wasn’t surprised. She expected him to turn up sooner or later. From the way he looked, it was clear that Mox had just returned from a mission: his combat equipment was splashed with the alien blood, and the fur collar was half torn. This caused one important question to raise at the back of her mind: how long has she been out?

Mox immediately turned his gaze to her capsule and from the way the muscles on his body relaxed, Elena realized that he had not visited the infirmary for the first time to find out about her condition.

“She woke up,” the scientist told him, continuing his routine work. “There are no threats to her life, very soon she will be back on her feet.”

“Thank you,” Mox nodded respectfully, taking off his helmet and placing it on one of the tables. “At least some good news. In these few days, we have already suffered enough losses.”

“What happened?” Elena asked, her voice still dry.

“First, one of the Resistance camps was attacked, and then Vox Prima paid a visit… Two soldiers have been taken captive, and another one has been stabbed right in front of my eyes. Vox Prima was after me, in fact but one of the young recruits put himself between us. With our current state of affairs, we are unable to stand our ground against her without suffering serious damage.”

“Are you saying that those cryssalids…?”  
“That’s a likely possibility,” he answered with a sigh. “When I served the Elders, they always sent a huge amount of them to target civilians. The group we both encountered was only one of several ones that we had to deal with yesterday. We only managed to save a few people, but it was worth it.”

“Now I understand why they took us by surprise. They were not supposed to be there in the first place.”

“I’m truly glad that at least you are in a stable condition. When I returned to the point where I left you, I was afraid that it was too late: your pulse was so weak that I expected the worst. However, thanks to the skill of Dr. Tygan, we stabilized you in a very short period of time.”

“Thank you,” Elena answered sincerely. “You saved my life. I think I’m again in your debt, Pratal Mox.”

“No more than I am in yours,” he retorted with a tired smile.

When the radio on Mox’s chest began to squeal furiously, there was no trace of a smile left on his face.

“I’m afraid I must go. Betos does not like to wait long. I must personally give her a report on what is happening. I hope we can still find time to talk. I did not manage to take the first step towards winning your trust, after all.”

With these words, Mox left the room, leaving Elena alone with an Avenger worker.

_Maybe I still do not trust Skirmishers as a whole, but you … You’ve done much more than one step._


End file.
